Methods of forming patterned constructions, methods of patterning semiconductive substrates, and methods of forming field emission displays

ABSTRACT

In one aspect, the invention includes a method of patterning a substrate. A film is formed over a substrate and comprises a plurality of individual molecules. The individual molecules comprise two ends with one of the two ends being directed toward the substrate and the other of the two ends being directed away from the substrate. Particle-adhering groups are bound to said other of the two ends of at least some of the individual molecules and a plurality of particles are adhered to the particle-adhering groups to form a mask over the substrate. The substrate is etched while the mask protects portions of the substrate. In another aspect, the invention encompasses a method of forming a field emission display. A material having a surface of exposed nitrogen-containing groups is formed over the substrate. At least one portion of the material is exposed to radiation while at least one other portion of the material is not exposed. The exposing renders one of the exposed or unexposed portions better at bonding the masking particles than the other of the exposed and unexposed portions. After the exposing, the material is bonded with masking particles. The adhered masking particles define a mask over the semiconductive substrate. The substrate is etched while the patterned mask protects portions of the substrate. A plurality of emitters are formed from the substrate. A display screen is provided to be spaced from the emitters.

PATENT RIGHTS STATEMENT

This invention was made with Government support under Contract No.DABT63-97-C-0001 awarded by Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).The Government has certain rights in this invention.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to methods of forming patterned constructions,such as methods of patterning semiconductive substrates. In a particularaspect, the invention pertains to methods of forming field emissiondisplays.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern semiconductor fabrication processes frequently involve patterningof materials. One common method of patterning is to form a layer ofphotosensitive material (e.g., photoresist) over a substrate and exposethe material to a source of radiation. A mask is provided between theradiation and the photosensitive material, with the mask comprisingopaque and transparent regions. The mask patterns the radiation passingthrough it, and the patterned radiation impacts the photosensitivematerial to create a pattern of exposed and unexposed regions. Theexposed regions are rendered either more or less soluble in a solventthan the unexposed regions. After the exposure to the patterned beam ofradiation, the solvent is utilized to selectively remove either theexposed or unexposed portions of the photosensitive layer and to therebytransfer a pattern from the mask onto the photosensitive layer. If theexposed portions are removed a positive image of the mask is formed inthe photosensitive layer, and if the unexposed portions are removed anegative image of the mask is formed in the photosensitive layer.

The above-described processing is frequently referred to as“photolithographic processing”. It is utilized for forming numerouspatterned constructions for semiconductor devices. A difficulty with themethod is that a resolution of the method can be limited by propertiesof the photosensitive material and optics of the pattern transfer tools.Accordingly, it would be desirable to develop improved methods ofphotolithographic processing, such as, for example, developing improvedphotosensitive materials.

In another aspect of the prior art, field emitters are used in displaydevices, such as, for example, flat panel displays. Emission current andbrightness of a field emission display is a function of a number offactors, including emitter tip sharpness. Specifically, sharper emittertips can produce higher resolution displays than less sharp emittertips. Accordingly, numerous methods have been proposed for fabricationof very sharp emitter tips (i.e., emitter tips having tip radii of 100nanometers or less). Fabrication of very sharp tips has, however, proveddifficult. It has proved particularly difficult to build large areas ofsharp emitter tips using the above-described photolithographic methodswhile maintaining resolution and stringent dimensional control overlarge area substrates used for display manufacture. A technology thathas been proposed for enabling formation of emitter tips is a particledispersment technology (such as the process of U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,853to Alwan) wherein small particles are layered over a substrate to form amask for formation of emitter tips. Thus far, the dispersmenttechnologies have proved difficult to utilize in that it is difficult tostringently control the location of emitter tips formed from thesomewhat random distribution of particulates over a substrate surface.

In light of the above-discussed difficulties, it would be desirable todevelop alternative methods for forming emitter tips.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention includes a method of patterning asubstrate. A film is formed over a substrate and comprises a pluralityof individual molecules. The individual molecules comprise two ends,with one of the two ends being directed toward the substrate and theother of the two ends being directed away from the substrate.Particle-adhering groups are bound to said other of the two ends of atleast some of the individual molecules, and a plurality of particles areadhered to the particle-adhering groups. The adhered particles are amask over the substrate. The substrate is etched while the mask protectsportions of the substrate.

In another aspect, the invention encompasses a method of forming a fieldemission display. A material is formed over a substrate. The materialhas a surface with exposed nitrogen-containing groups. At least oneportion of the material is exposed to radiation while leaving at leastone other portion of the material unexposed. The exposing renders one ofthe exposed or unexposed portions better at bonding the maskingparticles than the other of the exposed and unexposed portions. Afterthe exposing, the material is bonded with masking particles. The bondingcomprises reacting exposed moieties of the masking particles with thenitrogen-containing groups. The adhered masking particles define a maskover the semiconductive substrate. The substrate is etched while themask protects portions of the substrate. A plurality of emitters areformed from the substrate. A display screen is provided to be spacedfrom the emitters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the following accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a fragment of asemiconductive material construction at a preliminary step of aprocessing method encompassed by the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the FIG. 1 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view of the FIG. 1 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view of the FIG. 1 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view of the FIG. 1 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view of the FIG. 1 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view of the FIG. 1 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a view of the FIG. 1 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a fieldemission display incorporating emitters shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a semiconductivematerial construction at a preliminary step of a second embodimentprocessing method encompassed by the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a view of the FIG. 10 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a view of the FIG. 10 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a view of the FIG. 10 construction shown at a step subsequentto that of FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of theconstitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote the progressof science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).

The invention encompasses methods of patterning materials. An exemplaryapplication of a method of the present invention is for utilization inpatterning during semiconductive material fabrication, such as, forexample, in forming emitter tips for field emission display (FED)devices. An exemplary method of forming FED emitter tips in accordancewith the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1-8.

Referring to FIG. 1, a fragment 10 of a semiconductive materialconstruction is illustrated at a preliminary step of a method of thepresent invention. Fragment 10 comprises a glass plate 12, a firstsemiconductive material layer 14 overlying glass plate 12, a secondsemiconductive material 16 overlying material 14, and a silicon dioxidelayer 18 overlying second semiconductive material 16. Semiconductivematerial 14 can comprise either a p-type doped or an n-type dopedsemiconductive material (such as, for example, monocrystalline silicon),and semiconductive material 16 can comprise doped polycrystallinesilicon (polysilicon) material. Materials 12, 14 and 16 togethercomprise a conventional emitter tip starting material. Silicon dioxidelayer 18 has an uppermost surface 19. It is noted that theabove-described materials of layer 14, 16 and 18 are exemplarymaterials. Layer 18 can comprise any material which is selectivelyetchable relative to the material of layer 16. Depending on theconstruction of layer 16, layer 18 can comprise, for example, nickel,chrome, silicon nitride, and/or the above discussed silicon dioxide.Layer 16 can comprise any material suitable for forming emitter tips,including, for example, silicon carbide, boron nitride, metal, and/orthe above-discussed polysilicon.

To aid in interpretation of this disclosure and the claims that follow,it is noted that either of layers 14 and 16 can be referred to as a“semiconductive substrate”. More specifically, the term “semiconductivesubstrate” is defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductivematerial, including, but not limited to, bulk semiconductive materials(either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon), andsemiconductive material layers (either alone or in assemblies comprisingother materials). The term “substrate” refers to any supportingstructure, including, but not limited to, the semiconductive substratesdescribed above.

A layer 20 of organic molecules 22 (only some of which are labeled) isformed over silicon dioxide material 18. In the shown embodiment,organic layer 20 comprises a film of molecules arranged such that layer20 is one molecule deep. Such layer 20 that is one molecule deep can bereferred to as a monomolecular film. Each of molecules 22 comprises twoends (24 and 26), which are connected by a linking segment 28. Ends 26are configured to adhere to masking particles (described below withreference to FIG. 4), while ends 24 are configured to adhere to layer18. The masking particle binding group of end 26 is symbolized by asquare in FIG. 1, and the group binding to layer 18 is symbolized by acircle. Ends 26 define an upper surface of layer 20 which has maskingparticle adhering properties.

Organic molecules 22 can be provided by exposing uppermost surface 19 ofsilicon dioxide layer 18 to silane. Such silane can comprise the formulaR_(n)SiX_(m), wherein R is an organic functional group, n is an integerof from 1 to 3, X is, for example, a halogen, alkoxy or amine, andm=(4−n). The silane reacts with surface 19 to bond molecules comprisingR_(n)SiX_(m) to surface 19. The individual R groups of the boundmolecules 22 have two ends which can be referred to as a first end and asecond end. The first end is bound to the Si of the RSi, and the secondend is spaced from the Si by a length of an individual R group. Thebound molecules are oriented with the first ends directed toward surface19, and the second ends spaced further from the surface than the firstends. Masking particle bonding groups 26 are ultimately provided at thesecond ends. The masking particle bonding groups 26 can be providedeither before or after reacting the silane with exposed surface 19. In aparticular aspect of the invention, the masking particle bonding groupsare nitrogen-containing groups, such as, for example, NH₂. In apreferred embodiment of the invention, the R groups of the silane arenon-polar during reacting of the silane with exposed surface 19, andnitrogen-containing groups 26 are attached to the R groups afterreacting the silane with the exposed surface. Conventional chemistry canbe utilized for attaching the nitrogen-containing groups to thenon-polar R groups. The class of non-polar R groups can include, forexample, olefins, acetylenes, diacetylenes, acrylates, aromatichydrocarbons, methacrylates, methyl, perfluorinated hydrocarbons,primary amines, long chain hydrocarbons and esters. It will be notedthat in embodiments in which the non-polar R groups comprise primaryamines, the non-polar R groups inherently can comprisenitrogen-containing end groups 26.

Referring to FIG. 2, construction 10 is exposed to a patterned beam ofradiation 30. Radiation 30 can be patterned by passing the radiationthrough a mask containing opaque and transparent features. The patternedradiation 30 strikes some of molecules 22, and others of molecules 22are not exposed to radiation 30.

Referring to FIG. 3, the molecules 22 exposed to radiation 30 arecleaved by the radiation to release masking particle adhering groups 26from the molecules. The cleavage occurs along linking portion 28. Suchcleavage can be generated by utilizing radiation having an energy thatis of the same order of magnitude as that of covalent bonds in thelinking portions 28, and is generally referred to as photolysis.Suitable radiation can comprise x-rays, electron beams, or ultravioletlight, depending on the nature of the covalent bonds. The removal ofmasking particle adhering groups 26 from the molecules 22 exposed toradiation 30 renders such exposed molecules less capable of adheringmasking particles than are the molecules that were not exposed toradiation 30.

Referring to FIG. 4, masking particles 40 are adhered to maskingparticle bonding regions 26 of organic molecules 22. Masking particles40 can comprise, for example, latex beads, or carboxyl latex beads, andcan be approximately spherical, with diameters of from about 0.2 toabout 2 micrometers. Masking particles 40 comprise exposed moieties 42which are attracted to and/or reactive with masking particle adheringgroups 26. In an exemplary application, masking particle adhering groups26 can comprise nitrogen and exposed moieties 42 of the maskingparticles can comprise carboxylate groups. The nitrogen of adheringgroups 26 can be reacted with the carboxylate groups of moieties 42utilizing conventional chemistry to form covalent bonds. In analternative application, masking particle adhering groups 26 cancomprise carboxylate groups and exposed moieties 42 can comprisenitrogen.

A method of adhering particles 40 to particle adhering groups 26 is toexpose layer 20 to a colloidal suspension of masking particles 40 underconditions in which moieties 42 react with adhering groups 26. Excessmasking particles can then be removed by, for example, ultrasonicvibration, mechanical scraping (e.g., squeegeeing) and/or rinsing of asurface of layer 20. After removal of excess masking particles, theremaining masking particles adhered to groups 26 form a patterned maskover layer 18. It is noted that in the shown embodiment particles 40 aresized such that approximately three organic molecules 22 bind perparticle 40. The number of organic molecules binding per particle can bevaried by, for example, altering the size of the particles, the spacingof reactive moieties 42 across a surface of the particles, and/or thesize of reactive groups 26.

Referring to FIG. 5, masking particles 40 are utilized as a maskinglayer during removal of portions of silicon dioxide layer 18. Thesilicon dioxide is preferably removed with an etch selective for silicondioxide relative to the silicon material of layer 16. If layer 16comprises polysilicon, a suitable etch is an oxide etch utilizing atleast one of CF₄ or CHF₃. The etching of material 18 transfers a patternfrom masking particles 40 to material 18, and thereby forms maskingblocks 50 from material 18. In the shown embodiment, particles 40 arethe sole masking material provided over layer 18 during the etching andhave uppermost surfaces that are exposed during the etching. In otherembodiments (not shown), additional materials can be provided oversurfaces of particles 40 prior to the etching. Such other materials canprotect surfaces of particles 40 from the etch conditions and/or canfurther define a mask provided by particles 40.

Referring to FIG. 6, masking particles 40 (FIG. 5) and organic molecules22 (FIG. 5) are removed from over masking blocks 50. Suitable methodsfor removing masking particles 40 and organic materials 22 are exposureto conditions which cleave organic materials 22. Preferably, suchconditions are selective for cleavage of organic materials 22 and do notetch the polysilicon of layer 16. Exemplary chemistry which can beutilized for cleaving the R groups of organic materials 22 selectivelyrelative to etching of polysilicon 16 include utilization ofn-methylpyrrolidine. In the shown embodiment, organic materials 22 arecompletely removed from over masking blocks 50. However, it is to beunderstood that the invention encompasses other embodiments (not shown)wherein a portion of organic materials 22 remains over masking blocks 50after removal of masking particles 40. For instance, the inventionencompasses embodiments wherein the linking R groups 28 (FIG. 5) arecleaved to remove masking particles 40. Such cleavage will leave bondingportions 24 remaining adhered to masking blocks 50.

Referring to FIG. 7, construction 10 is exposed to etching conditionswhich selectively etch polysilicon material 16 while utilizing blocks 50as masks, to form emitter structures 54. Emitter structures can, forexample, be conically-shaped. In embodiments in which blocks 50 comprisesilicon dioxide and material 16 comprises polysilicon, the etching cancomprise, for example, a silicon dry etch utilizing SF₆ and helium.

Referring to FIG. 8, masking blocks 50 are removed to form an emittertip array comprising emitter structures 54. In embodiments in whichmasking blocks 50 comprise silicon dioxide, they can be removed by, forexample, wet etching utilizing buffered hydrofluoric acid. The emittertip array of FIG. 8 can be incorporated into, for example, a flat paneldisplay device as an emitter assembly, as illustrated in FIG. 9.Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates a field emission display 70 whichincludes emitters 54. Field emission display 70 further includesdielectric regions 72, spacers 73, an extractor 74, and a luminescentscreen 76. Techniques for forming field emission displays are describedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,151,061; 5,186,670 and 5,210,472; hereby expresslyincorporated by reference herein. Emitters 54 emit electrons 78 whichcharge screen 76 and cause images to be seen by a user on an opposite ofscreen 76.

A second embodiment processing method encompassed by the presentinvention is described with reference to FIGS. 10-13. In referring tothe second embodiment, similar number to that utilized above indescribing the first embodiment will be used, with differences indicatedby the suffix “a”, or by different numerals. Referring to FIG. 10, afragment 10 a of a semiconductive material construction is illustratedat a preliminary step of the second embodiment method of the presentinvention. Fragment 10 a comprises a glass plate 12, a firstsemiconductive material layer 14 overlying glass plate 12, a secondsemiconductive material 16 overlying material 14, and a silicon dioxidelayer 18 overlying second semiconductive material 16.

A layer 20 a of organic molecules 22 a (only some of which are labeled)is formed over silicon dioxide material 18. Molecules 22 a are identicalto the molecules 22 described above with reference to FIG. 1, with theexception that molecules 22 a comprise a blocking group 80 (symbolizedby an asterisk) attached to ends 26 by a linking segment 82. As willbecome evident in the discussion that follows, blocking groups 80 canimpede interaction of particle adhering groups 26 with particles.Depending on the nature of the particles, blocking groups 80 cancomprise, for example, cationic groups, anionic groups or non-polargroups. For instance, if the particles comprise exposed carboxylategroups (anionic groups), blocking groups 80 can also comprise anionicgroups (such as, for example, carboxylate groups) to repel theparticles.

Referring to FIG. 11, construction 10 a is exposed to a patterned beamof radiation 30. Radiation 30 can be patterned by passing the radiationthrough a mask containing opaque and transparent features, as discussedabove with reference to FIG. 2. The patterned radiation 30 strikes someof molecules 22 a, and others of molecules 22 a are not exposed toradiation 30.

Referring to FIG. 12, the molecules 22 a exposed to radiation 30 arecleaved by the radiation to release blocking groups 80 from themolecules. The cleavage occurs along linking portion 82. Such cleavagecan be generated by utilizing radiation having an energy that is of thesame order of magnitude as that of covalent bonds in the linkingportions 82. Suitable radiation can comprise x-rays, electron beams, orultraviolet light, depending on the nature of the covalent bonds. Theremoval of blocking groups 80 from the molecules 22 a exposed toradiation 30 renders such exposed molecules more capable of adheringmasking particles than are the molecules that were not exposed toradiation 30. Specifically, the removal of blocking groups 80 from themolecules 22 a exposed to the radiation unblocks the masking particleadhering groups 26 of such molecules.

Referring to FIG. 13, masking particles 40 are adhered to the unblockedmasking particle bonding groups 26 of organic molecules 22 a. Asdiscussed above with reference to FIG. 4, masking particles 40 compriseexposed moieties 42 which can be reactive with masking particle adheringgroups 26. After adhering masking particles 40 to groups 26, subsequentprocessing analogous to that described above with reference to FIGS. 5-9can be utilized to form emitters from construction 10 a and incorporatesuch emitters into an FED device.

It is noted that the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1-13 aremerely exemplary methods of the present invention, and that theinvention encompasses other embodiments besides those specificallyshown. For instance, in the shown exemplary method masking particles 40(FIGS. 4, 5 and 13) are provided over a silicon dioxide material 18,which is in turn provided over a polycrystalline material 16. Theinvention encompasses other embodiments (not shown) wherein silicondioxide layer 18 is eliminated, and organic molecules (22 or 22 a) areadhered directly to polycrystalline silicon material 16. Also, althoughthe shown embodiment illustrates masking particles 40 being removedbefore an etch of polycrystalline silicon material 16, the inventionencompasses other embodiments wherein masking particles 40 are notremoved until after the etch of polycrystalline silicon 16. Further,although the described invention cleaves some of the organic moleculesof layers prior to provision of masking particles 40, the inventionencompasses other embodiments wherein layer 20 is not exposed topatterned radiation prior to adhering masking particles 40 to the layer.In such embodiments, the masking particles can form a uniform monolayeracross a surface of a substrate. An alternative method of forming auniform monolayer of masking particles across a surface of a substrateis to expose an entirety of a layer 20 a (FIG. 10) to radiation, ratherthan exposing only portions of the layer 20 a to radiation. Exposure ofthe entirety of the layer 20 a will unblock particle adhering groups 26across an entirety of the layer to enable bonding of masking particlesacross the entirety of the layer.

Although the invention is described above with reference to methods offorming emitter structures for field emission display devices, it is tobe understood that such is merely an exemplary application of thepresent invention. The invention can be utilized for patterningconstructions other than emitter tips. In such applications, organicmolecules analogous to molecules 22 or 22 a can be adhered over or onmonocrystalline silicon substrates, polycrystalline silicon substrates,or other substrates that are ultimately to be patterned into particularshapes. The present invention, like standard lithography techniques,enables persons of ordinary skill in the art to control size (i.e.,critical dimension) of features and placement of features. The presentinvention is improved over standard lithography techniques in that itcan be utilized to obtain very small feature sizes (sizes on the orderof 0.05 μm) more economically than can be obtained by standardlithography processes. The present invention can also offer improvementsover the particle dispersment technologies (such as the process of U.S.Pat. No. 5,676,853 to Alwan) in that the present invention can enablestringent control of emitter tip placement. Any technology that canbenefit from economical control of small features sizes, and stringentcontrol of feature location, can benefit from application of methods ofthe present invention.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described inlanguage more or less specific as to structural and methodical features.It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited tothe specific features shown and described, since the means hereindisclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms ormodifications within the proper scope of the appended claimsappropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of patterning a substrate, comprising: forming a film over a substrate, the film comprising a plurality of individual molecules, the individual molecules comprising two ends, one of the two ends being directed toward the substrate the other of the two ends being directed away from the substrate; providing particle-adhering groups bound to said other of the two ends of at least some of the individual molecules; adhering a plurality of particles to the particle-adhering groups; and etching the substrate, the adhered particles being masking portions for protecting the substrate during the etching to define a patterned construction of the etched substrate.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises silicon.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises silicon dioxide.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the film is a monomolecular film.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the particles have uppermost surfaces that are exposed during the etching.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the particles are approximately spherical beads comprising latex or carboxyl latex.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the particle-adhering groups and the particles comprise nitrogen atoms and the other of the particle-adhering groups and the particles comprise carboxyl groups, the adhering comprising reacting the nitrogen atoms with the carboxyl groups.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein forming a film comprising two ends further comprises forming a linking portion disposed between the two ends, the linking portion being cleavable by photolysis.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein before adhering a plurality of particles, selected portions of the film are exposed to radiation of a sufficient energy to cleave the linking portion and remove the other of the two ends from at least some of the individual molecules within the selected portions.
 10. A method of forming a patterned construction over a substrate, comprising: forming a layer over a substrate, the layer having masking particle adhering properties; exposing an entirety of the layer to radiation; the exposing improving the masking particle adhering properties of the layer; after the exposing, contacting the layer with a plurality of the masking particles; at least some of the masking particles adhering to the layer, the adhered masking particles being a patterned mask over the substrate; and etching the substrate, the patterned mask protecting portions of the substrate during the etching to define a patterned construction of the etched substrate.
 11. The method of claim 10 of wherein: the layer comprises a plurality of organic molecules, the organic molecules comprising bonding groups configured to bond with components of the masking particles, the organic molecules also comprising blocking groups bound to the bonding groups, the organic molecules being aligned within the layer to provide the blocking groups at a surface of the layer; and the altering the masking particle adhering properties comprises utilizing the radiation to cleave the blocking groups from the organic molecules.
 12. A method of forming a patterned construction over a substrate, comprising: forming a layer over a substrate, the layer having masking particle adhering properties; exposing at least one portion of the layer to radiation while leaving at least one other portion of the layer unexposed; the exposing altering the masking particle adhering properties of the layer to render one of the exposed or unexposed portions better at adhering masking particles than the other of the exposed and unexposed portions; after the exposing, forming an etch mask by contacting the layer with a plurality of the masking particles; at least some of the masking particles adhering to said one of the exposed or unexposed portions, the adhered masking particles being the etch mask; and etching the substrate, the etch mask protecting portions of the substrate during the etching to define a patterned construction of the etched substrate.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the substrate comprises monocrystalline silicon.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the substrate comprises silicon dioxide.
 15. The method of claim 12 wherein the radiation comprises ultraviolet light.
 16. The method of claim 12 wherein: the layer comprises a plurality of organic molecules, the organic molecules comprising bonding groups configured to bond with components of the masking particles, the organic molecules also comprising blocking groups bound to the bonding groups, the organic molecules being aligned within the layer to provide the blocking groups at a surface of the layer; the exposed portions are the one of the exposed and unexposed portions being better at adhering masking particles; and the altering the masking particle adhering properties comprises utilizing the radiation to cleave the blocking groups from the organic molecules exposed to the radiation.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the bonding groups comprise nitrogen atoms and the masking particle components comprise carboxyl groups, the adhering comprising reacting the nitrogen atoms with the carboxyl groups.
 18. The method of claim 16 wherein the bonding groups comprise carboxyl groups and the masking particle components comprise nitrogen atoms, the adhering comprising reacting the nitrogen atoms with the carboxyl groups.
 19. The method of claim 12 wherein: the layer comprises a plurality of organic molecules, the organic molecules comprising bonding groups configured to bond with components of the masking particles, the organic molecules being aligned within the layer to provide the bonding groups at a surface of the layer; the unexposed portions are the one of the exposed and unexposed portions being better at adhering masking particles; and the altering the masking particle adhering properties comprises utilizing the radiation to cleave the bonding groups from the organic molecules exposed to the radiation.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the bonding groups comprise nitrogen atoms and the masking particle components comprise carboxyl groups, the adhering comprising reacting the nitrogen atoms with the carboxyl groups.
 21. The method of claim 19 wherein the bonding groups comprise carboxyl groups and the masking particle components comprise nitrogen atoms, the adhering comprising reacting the nitrogen atoms with the carboxyl groups.
 22. A method of patterning a semiconductive substrate, comprising: forming a layer over a semiconductive substrate, the layer having a surface which comprises particle-adhering groups; exposing at least one portion of the layer to radiation while leaving at least one other portion of the layer unexposed; the exposing removing the particle-adhering groups from the exposed portion of the layer while leaving the particle-adhering groups on the unexposed portion; after the exposing, adhering a plurality of particles to the remaining particle-adhering groups, the adhered particles being an etch mask disposed over portions of the semiconductive substrate; and etching the semiconductive substrate, the etch mask protecting the portions of the semiconductive substrate during the etching to define a patterned construction of the etched semiconductive substrate.
 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the substrate comprises silicon dioxide.
 24. The method of claim 22 wherein the radiation comprises ultraviolet light.
 25. The method of claim 22 wherein the particles are approximately spherical beads comprising latex or carboxyl latex.
 26. The method of claim 22 wherein: the layer comprises a plurality of organic molecules, the organic molecules comprising bonding groups configured to bond with components of the masking particles, the organic molecules being aligned within the layer to provide the bonding groups at the surface, the bonding groups providing the particle adhering properties of the surface; and the radiation cleaving the bonding groups from the organic molecules exposed to the radiation.
 27. A method of forming a patterned mask over a substrate, comprising: forming a layer over a substrate, the layer having a surface with exposed nitrogen-containing groups; exposing at least one portion of the layer to radiation while leaving at least one other portion of the layer unexposed; the exposing rendering one of the exposed or unexposed portions better at bonding the masking particles than the other of the exposed and unexposed portions; after the exposing, bonding masking particles to the layer; the masking particles having exposed moieties reactive with the nitrogen-containing groups and the bonding comprising reacting the exposed moieties of the masking particles with the nitrogen-containing groups; the bonded masking particles defining a mask over the semiconductive substrate; and etching the semiconductive substrate; the mask of bonded masking particles protecting an underlying portion of the substrate.
 28. The method of claim 27 wherein the exposed moieties comprise carboxylate groups, and wherein the reacting the exposed moieties comprises forming bonds between the carbon of the carboxylate groups and the nitrogen of the nitrogen-containing groups.
 29. The method of claim 27 wherein the substrate comprises silicon.
 30. The method of claim 27 wherein the substrate comprises silicon dioxide.
 31. The method of claim 27 wherein the substrate comprises silicon and the forming the layer comprises: exposing a surface of the substrate to a silane comprising the formula R_(n)SiX_(m), wherein R is an organic functional group, n is an integer of from 1 to 3, X is a halogen, alkoxy or amine, and m=(4−n); reacting the silane with the exposed surface to bond molecules comprising RSi to the surface, the individual R groups of the bound molecules having two ends, the two ends being a first end a second end, the first end being bound to the Si and the second end being spaced from the Si by the length of an individual R group, the bound molecules being oriented with the first ends being directed toward the surface and the second ends being spaced further from the surface than the first ends; and providing the nitrogen-containing groups on the second ends of the R groups.
 32. The method of claim 31 wherein the nitrogen-containing groups are provided after the reacting with the exposed surface.
 33. The method of claim 31 wherein the second ends of the R groups are non-polar during the reacting of the silane with the exposed surface, and wherein the nitrogen-containing groups are provided after the reacting with the exposed surface.
 34. The method of claim 31 wherein the second ends of the R groups are non-polar during the reacting of the silane with the exposed surface, and wherein the nitrogen-containing groups are provided before the reacting with the exposed surface.
 35. A method of forming a mask over a semiconductive substrate, comprising: forming a layer over a semiconductive substrate, the layer having a surface which comprises nitrogen-containing groups; exposing at least one portion of the layer to radiation while leaving at least one other portion of the layer unexposed; the exposing removing the nitrogen-containing groups from the exposed portion of the layer while leaving the nitrogen-containing groups on the unexposed portion; after the exposing, adhering a plurality of particles to the remaining nitrogen-containing groups; the particles comprising exposed moieties reactive with the nitrogen-containing groups; the adhering comprising reacting the exposed moieties with the nitrogen-containing groups; the adhered particles defining a mask over the semiconductive substrate; and etching the semiconductive substrate, the mask of adhered particles protecting an underlying portion of the substrate.
 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the radiation comprises ultraviolet light.
 37. The method of claim 35 wherein the substrate comprises silicon.
 38. The method of claim 35 wherein the substrate comprises silicon dioxide.
 39. The method of claim 35 wherein the substrate comprises silicon and the forming the layer comprises: exposing a surface of the substrate to a silane comprising the formula R_(n)SiX_(m), wherein R is an organic functional group, n is an integer of from 1 to 3, X is a halogen, alkoxy or amine, and m=(4−n); reacting the silane with the exposed surface to bond molecules comprising RSi to the surface, the individual R groups of the bound molecules having two ends, the two ends being a first end a second end, the first end being bound to the Si and the second end being spaced from the Si by the length of an individual R group, the bound molecules being oriented with the first ends being directed toward the surface and the second ends being spaced further from the surface than the first ends; and providing the nitrogen-containing groups on the second ends of the R groups.
 40. The method of claim 39 wherein the nitrogen-containing groups are provided after the reacting with the exposed surface.
 41. The method of claim 39 wherein the second ends of the R groups are non-polar during the reacting of the silane with the exposed surface, and wherein the nitrogen-containing groups are provided after the reacting with the exposed surface.
 42. The method of claim 39 wherein the second ends of the R groups are non-polar during the reacting of the silane with the exposed surface, and wherein the nitrogen-containing groups are provided before the reacting with the exposed surface.
 43. A method of forming a mask over a semiconductive substrate, comprising: forming a layer of individual molecules over a semiconductive substrate, the individual molecules comprising two ends and a linkage between the two ends, one of the two ends being directed toward the semiconductive substrate and the other of the two ends being directed away from the semiconductive substrate; providing a particle-adhering group bound to said other of the two ends of at least some of the individual molecules exposing at least one portion of the layer to radiation, while leaving at least one other portion of the layer unexposed; the exposing removing the particle-adhering groups from the exposed molecules while leaving the particle-adhering groups of the unexposed molecules; after the exposing, adhering a plurality of particles to the remaining particle-adhering groups, the adhered particles forming a protective mask over portions of the semiconductive substrate; and etching the semiconductive substrate, the protective mask protecting t portions of the semiconductive substrate during the etching, unprotected portions of the semiconductive substrate being etched.
 44. The method of claim 43 wherein the exposing to the radiation breaks the linkage between the two ends of the exposed molecules to release the particle-adhering groups from the exposed molecules.
 45. The method of claim 43 wherein the substrate comprises silicon dioxide.
 46. The method of claim 43 wherein the radiation comprises ultraviolet light.
 47. The method of claim 43 wherein the particle-adhering groups comprise nitrogen atoms and the particles comprise carboxyl groups, the adhering comprising reacting the nitrogen atoms with the carboxyl groups.
 48. A method of forming a field emission display, comprising: forming a film over a substrate, the film comprising a plurality of individual molecules, the individual molecules comprising two ends, one of the two ends being directed toward the substrate and the other of the two ends being directed away from the substrate; providing particle-adhering groups bound to said other of the two ends of at least some of the individual molecules; adhering a plurality of particles to the particle-adhering groups, the adhered particles being a mask over the substrate; etching the substrate, the mask protecting portions of the substrate during the etching; forming a Plurality of emitters from the etched substrate; and providing a display screen spaced from said emitters.
 49. The method of claim 48 wherein the substrate comprises silicon.
 50. The method of claim 48 wherein the substrate comprises silicon dioxide.
 51. The method of claim 48 wherein the film is a monomolecular film.
 52. The method of claim 48 wherein the particles are approximately spherical beads comprising latex or carboxyl latex.
 53. The method of claim 48 wherein one of the particle-adhering groups and the particles comprise nitrogen atoms and the other of the particle-adhering groups and the particles comprise carboxyl groups, the adhering comprising reacting the nitrogen atoms with the carboxyl groups.
 54. The method of claim 48 wherein the substrate comprises polycrystalline silicon and a layer of silicon dioxide over the polycrystalline silicon, the film being formed on the silicon dioxide; the etching comprising etching through the silicon dioxide and to the underlying polycrystalline silicon, the method further comprising: after the etching, removing the adhered masking particles to leave a patterned layer of the silicon dioxide; and using the patterned layer of silicon dioxide as a mask during an etch of the polycrystalline silicon, the etch of the polycrystalline silicon forming the emitters from the polycrystalline silicon.
 55. A method of forming a field emission display, comprising: forming a film over a substrate, the film having masking particle adhering properties; exposing at least one portion of the film to radiation while leaving at least one other portion of the film unexposed; the exposing altering the masking particle adhering properties of the film to render one of the exposed or unexposed portions better at adhering masking particles than the other of the exposed and unexposed portions; after the exposing, contacting the film with masking particles; a plurality of the masking particles adhering to said one of the exposed or unexposed portions, the adhered masking particles defining a patterned mask over the semiconductive substrate; etching the substrate, the adhered particles of the patterned mask protecting portions of the substrata during the etching; forming a plurality of emitters from the etched substrate; and providing a display screen spaced from said emitters.
 56. The method of claim 55 further comprising, removing any non-adhered masking particles from over the substrate before the etching.
 57. The method of claim 55 wherein the substrate comprises polycrystalline silicon and a layer of silicon dioxide over the polycrystalline silicon, the film being formed on the silicon dioxide; the etching comprising etching through the silicon dioxide and to the underlying polycrystalline silicon, the method further comprising: after the etching, removing the adhered masking particles to leave a patterned layer of the silicon dioxide; and using the patterned layer of silicon dioxide as a mask during an etch of the polycrystalline silicon, the etch of the polycrystalline silicon forming the emitters from the polycrystalline silicon.
 58. The method of claim 55 wherein the radiation comprises ultraviolet light.
 59. The method of claim 55 wherein: the layer comprises a plurality of organic molecules, the organic molecules comprising bonding groups configured to bond with components of the masking particles, the organic molecules also comprising blocking groups bound to the bonding groups, the organic molecules being aligned within the layer to provide the blocking groups at a surface of the layer; the exposed portions are the one of the exposed and unexposed portions being better at adhering masking particles; and the altering the masking particle adhering properties comprises utilizing the radiation to cleave the blocking groups from the organic molecules exposed to the radiation.
 60. The method of claim 55 wherein: the film comprises a plurality of organic molecules, the organic molecules comprising bonding groups configured to bond with components of the masking particles, the organic molecules being aligned within the film to provide the bonding groups at a surface of the layer; the unexposed portions are the one of the exposed and unexposed portions being better at adhering masking particles; and the altering the masking particle adhering properties comprises utilizing the radiation to cleave the bonding groups from the organic molecules exposed to the radiation.
 61. The method of claim 60 wherein the bonding groups comprise a nitrogen atom and the masking particle components comprise a carboxyl group, the adhering comprising reacting the nitrogen atom with the carboxyl group.
 62. A method of forming a field emission display, comprising: forming a material over a substrate, the material having a surface with exposed nitrogen-containing groups; exposing at least one portion of the material to radiation while leaving at least one other portion of the material unexposed; the exposing rendering one of the exposed or unexposed portions better at bonding the masking particles than the other of the exposed and unexposed portions; after the exposing, bonding the material with masking particles; the masking particles having exposed moieties reactive with the nitrogen-containing groups and the bonding comprising reacting the exposed moieties of the masking particles with the nitrogen-containing groups; the bonded masking particles defining a mask over the semiconductive substrate; etching the substrate, the mask protecting portions of the substrate during the etching; forming a plurality of emitters from the substrate; and providing a display screen spaced from said emitters.
 63. The method of claim 62 wherein: the material comprises a plurality of organic molecules comprising the nitrogen-containing groups, the organic molecules being aligned within the material to provide the nitrogen-containing groups at the surface; the unexposed portions are the one of the exposed and unexposed portions being better at adhering masking particles; and the rendering one of the exposed or unexposed portions better at bonding the masking particles comprises utilizing the radiation to cleave the nitrogen containing groups from the organic molecules exposed to the radiation.
 64. The method of claim 62 further comprising removing any non-adhered masking particles from over the substrate before the etching.
 65. The method of claim 62 wherein the substrate comprises polycrystalline silicon and a layer of silicon dioxide over the polycrystalline silicon, the material being formed on the silicon dioxide; the etching comprising etching through the silicon dioxide and to the underlying polycrystalline silicon, the method further comprising: after the etching, removing the adhered masking particles to leave a patterned layer of the silicon dioxide; and using the patterned layer of silicon dioxide as a mask during an etch of the polycrystalline silicon, the etch of the polycrystalline silicon forming the emitters from the polycrystalline silicon.
 66. The method of claim 62 wherein the radiation comprises ultraviolet light. 